Why do you pre order?

[Wolfram23]

Seriously. Why?

I ask this because we've seen 2 big name releases in the last little bit - Dragon Age 2 and Crysis 2.

Both games have DROVES of people bitching and moaning about it.

DA2 there's a TON of complaints about features being removed, about the combat changes, about more linear environments etc. Crysis 2, most of the whining is from PC gamers. The game was shipped in DX9 and also has limited environments (the original game allowed you to roam around a lot). This was present in the demo, mind you.

So, it boils down to this. Either they had NO IDEA what the game would be like but pre ordered/bought right at release and then went "WTF?" because it didn't hold up to their expectations, or else they KNEW full well what was coming and bought it anyway, then bitched.

The only smart people are the ones who didn't buy the game because it had unappealing features/changes.

FYI: I have DA2 and like it a lot. I have not bought Crysis 2 and will refrain from buying it until I hear about some future patches adding features I want in the game.

TL;DR: Why don't gamers speak with their wallets, but instead throw money at big name devs/games and then whine when it's not that holy grail of a game they imagined?

 

[Daystar Clarion]

There's only one person's opinion I care about when it comes to games.


Nobody can decide for me whether I'll like a game, so I read up on the details and if it sounds good, I'll preorder it.

Pretty much all Bioware games get an automatic pre-order, they haven't done me wrong yet.

The next Team Ico game, The Last Guardian, is getting a pre-order as soon as I catch a whiff of it.

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

I have pre-ordered Catherine and Record of Agarest War Zero because there will be a finite number of them at launch. They don't really mass produce them like triple A titles. I want to make sure I get a copy. I have full faith in the Persona team and Idea Factory/Red/Compile Heart.

 

[DustyDrB]

I preorder for safe choices like BioWare games (yes, I love Dragon Age 2). I will preorder the jumbo-large-deluxo-magnificent collector's edition of Mass Effect 3 for sure (first time I will have ever done that).

Other than that...I'll preorder in moments in which I have a profound lack of foresight and self-control.

 

[Aris Khandr]

I know my own tastes pretty well. The last game I bought and actively disliked was KotOR2, and that was because of bugs, rather than being a bad game. I quite enjoyed DA2, and my pre-order not only got me extra content, I got it for $10 less than the retail price since Amazon has a habit of guessing low. Two good reasons to pre-order early, in my opinion.

 

[InfiniteJacuzzi]

Because I want the pre-order goodies more than I want the game, but I still get pissed when I don't like it.

 

[Stryc9]

I rarely pre-order games and when I do they're games that I know I'm going to like. The reason I pre-order is because my income isn't always what you'd call steady so I'm not always able to buy the games I want to play the day they come out.

When I pre-order a game I always make sure I have the full amount the game is going to cost and pay for the whole thing all at once so that later all I have to do is go in with my receipt and pick it up.

 

[pspman45]

I pre-order if I want the game. nobody can tell me what I want or don't want.

 

[Frozen Donkey Wheel2]

I don't. Never really been in a situation where I couldn't find a game I wanted.

That's odd, my captha is in a different font then usual...

 

[ChildofGallifrey]

I almost never pre-order. The last thing I pre-ordered was the first Bioshock. I can't even remember what the one before that was.

 

[thenumberthirteen]

Well it's a risk, but for big games with limited editions it can be the only way to guarantee you get it. Though most of my games are digital so I don't need to worry so much about running out of stock.

I just remember having to wait 2 weeks to get a copy of GTA: San Andreas as all the copies they had at my local store were pre-ordered.

 

[mad825]

If i'm going to get the game within one week of release then I pre-order. It saves time,money, effort and a I would normally get a small bonuses with it so I have nothing to lose.

 

[Resetti's_Replicas]

I only pre-order if there's a free gift for doing so. Otherwise I can wait unil the price drops.

 

[Shining_Pyrelight]

I pre-order if I think the game will be scarce or difficult to find at release. This pretty much ensures that every Atlus game will get pre-ordered.

Besides, there's normally some kind of bonus for pre-ordering. I like the art books and soundtracks, and sometimes DLC (even though it is often released later for a price).

Right now I have none p.o'd, but I need to get Catherine reserved and paid off. That's a sure buy no matter what so I don't mind jumping the gun

An example of games I've reserved;
Etrian Odyssey 2 and 3(the art book was amazing with 3)

Demon's Souls- reserved the Legendary edition and got a free strategy guide and a hardcover case

Dead Space 2- I wanted the useless Rivet Gun lol

Enslaved Odyssey to the West- got a pretty neat costume to wear in game

 

[binvjoh]

Sometimes I want to play a game as soon as it's released without any prior knowledge, like I used to as a kid.

Also Steam, where I buy most of my games, often hold special pre-order bonuses so that can be a factor too.

 

[putowtin]

I preorder games I know I want (current preorders Infamous 2, Diablo III, Uncharted 3, and Skyrim) and if I'm getting them thru game it's double reward points!

 

[Chromanin]

I want the game as soon as possible, and I know what I like. I've never been dissapointed with a game I pre-ordered. I research every game thoroughly before I buy/pre-order it. Don't lump me in with a bunch of brainless invertebrates who buy games based off aggregate scores.

 

[YoUnG205]

To be honest i only pre-order something if i think that there is a chance of it being such a big hit that they sell out.

 

[KeyMaster45]

I used to pre-order because I wanted to be sure I had a copy of the game on launch day.

Then I pre-ordered because they would give goodies away to people who pre-ordered.

I stopped pre-ordering when I would pre-order games and then they would start the promotion for "If you pre-order now we'll give you the [OMFG BBQ SAUCE PWNAGE WEAPON OF BROKENNESS] and I was shit outta luck to get it because I'd made my pre-order online before the promotion. Or I'd pre-order it at the store and not get my pre-order prize cause the clerks were giving it out to anyone who'd buy a copy on launch day and by the time I could get there in the afternoon they were all out and again I was shit out of luck.

So yeah, I eventually just said fuck it and started waiting for games to just go on sale or flat out not buy em at all. To be honest I haven't had much worth buying lately, maybe it's because I'm not as easily pleased the older I get. Of course it could just be that every other game release is an FPS and I don't really care for the FPS genre.

 

[rees263]

I pre-ordered Portal 2 because I will get it delivered to my door on release day AND for a lower price than if I bought it later. Usually I buy games long after release because I don't want to pay full price for most games, but Portal 2 is an exception to the rule. Plus I'm getting it really cheap for a brand new game.